1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in particular to electronic flash apparatus. More specifically, the invention relates to flash apparatus of the type wherein an elastomeric strap or belt is used to secure a flash tube and a reflector housing to one another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of electronic flash apparatus primarily for photography is quite well known. Flash firing is produced by an instantaneous electronic discharge between two electrodes in a gas-filled glass tube. The flash tube is invariably mounted in a reflector housing to concentrate the light produced by the tube into a beam and redirect it toward a subject to be illuminated. The most efficient shape of the reflector housing is a parabola which concentrates the light into a beam that may have parallel, converging or diverging rays according to whether the tube is at the focal point of the parabola, in front of the focal point or behind it. Typically, the reflector housing is fitted with a transparent or translucent screen or lens positioned substantially perpendicular to the beam at an open front of the reflector housing. The flash lens acts as a diffuser, softening the light and spreading it more evenly over the subject.
To insure quality photographs when using an electronic flash unit, it will be appreciated that the light output values and the light distribution pattern must be consistently repeatable; otherwise, the strobe would not perform in the intended manner, and the quality of the photographs would of course suffer. Toward this end, the flash tube must be precisely located relative to the reflector housing and the flash lens. One approach for securing the flash tube, the reflector housing and the flash lens with respect to one another is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,942, issued July 17, 1984. This patent discloses an electronic flash assembly comprising a concave shaped reflector housing having an open front, a closed rear, and a pair of opposite side openings; a flash lens covering the open front of the reflector housing; a flash tube positioned in the reflector housing with respective end portions protruding outward from the side openings of the reflector housing to loosely support the flash tube; and an elastomeric strap having a pair of opposite end portions, an intermediate portion extending over the exterior of the reflector housing at its closed rear, and respective openings located between the end portions and intermediate portion of the strap which receive the end portions of the flash tube to allow the strap to secure the tube and the housing relative to one another. The strap is stretched taut about the end portions of the flash tube and over the reflector housing to yieldably bias the tube toward the closed rear of the housing. The flash lens is snap fitted to the reflector housing via respective detents of the housing that are received in engagement openings in the lens. The strap includes an integral raised portion in the vicinity of where it extends over the reflector housing, which is compressed between a back wall portion of the flash enclosure and the reflector housing to yieldably bias the housing toward a front wall portion of the flash enclosure.